


Imagine Steve Rogers Ficlets

by bisexualamy



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Artist Steve Rogers, Bisexual Steve Rogers, F/M, Gen, M/M, Trans Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-11-04 16:05:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 4,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10994298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexualamy/pseuds/bisexualamy
Summary: A running collection of ficlets I've written for the tumblr blog imaginesteverogerss. Each ficlet will be its own chapter, and the notes will include the prompt as well as what relationship and characters the fill contains.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> _Imagine Steve learning about "bisexual" and feeling so incredible because holy crap there's a word for it._
> 
>  
> 
> Contains: bisexual Steve Rogers, mention of Steve/Peggy

Back when Steve was a teen, there were two ways to be: straight, or quiet about it.  Despite the fact that he lived in one of Brooklyn’s more accepting neighborhoods, that bar wasn’t very high. Besides, he liked girls.  It didn’t matter how many longing looks he spent on Bucky, there was always a pretty girl around to distract him long enough to forget about it.  One of these feelings just had to be a fluke.

When he met Peggy, there was no time for questioning.  Just being with her was enough to take away his doubts, or so he told himself.  Peggy was wonderful, an absolute dream, but sometimes he still couldn’t help himself wondering.  It was too much when he thought about what it would be like to have a man hold him and gently kiss him the night before a battle, when he wasn’t sure if he’d live through the next day.

The 21st century was different.  Here, people were more openly gay than he’d ever seen in his life.  Not to mention the Internet; now that was something else. When he’d recovered from his stint in the ice, one of the first thing he’d asked for was a computer (after all, there were only so many obvious questions you could ask your friends before they got annoyed).  On it, he learned as much as he could about how the world had changed in seventy years, spending the hours he should’ve been sleeping just absorbing information.

A few months in, one night, Steve was feeling particularly fearless.  It’d been one of those weeks where he couldn’t push the questions out of his mind. Unlike before, though, he had Google, and it took a whole lot of guts (and a quick search) to type the vague phrase “what’s my sexuality” into the search engine.  Up came a list of definitions, way beyond straight or gay, and more than Steve could’ve ever imagined.  As he scrolled, his eyes settled on one definition in particular.

_Bisexual - the attraction to two or more genders_

Steve froze.  There was a word for it?  The feeling that had been confusing him all his life?  Emotions bubbled inside his chest in a way he hadn’t expected.  All this time of feeling broken and confused and just plain wrong, and it was all okay.  Everything had been _normal_ : it was possible to like both men and women, and apparently, other genders too?  Now that was a concept he’d never encountered before.

Looks like he had a lot more googling to do.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Steve anonymously enters some of his art into a gallery showcase, and is dragged to the event by the avengers who don't know that the work is his...up to you if someone figures it out or not._
> 
> Contains: Steve & Natasha, Natasha Romanov, Tony Stark, Sam Wilson (mention)

The community center was having a showcase of local work, all anonymous, which was what Steve liked the best about it.  He knew that if he wanted to, he could have his drawings displayed in much more prestigious venues, but that would be by virtue of him being Captain America, not by virtue of his art.  Art didn’t have anything to do with him being Captain America, it was opposite of that, in fact.  Being Captain America was how he won battles, led troops to victory, and kept people safe.  Drawing was how he made sure that Steve Rogers also survived all of those trials.

The submission was all online, so he sent off a few pieces with small descriptions and didn’t think much more of it.  He’d go a few days after the show opened, on a quiet afternoon, and see what everyone else around him decided to submit.  It would be easy to slip away for a few hours and say he was taking a walk or getting a bite to eat.  What he didn’t expect was to be dragged there by Tony, Sam, and Natasha for the opening reception.

“I donate a lot of money to this community center,” Tony had told him when Steve expressed his surprise.  “I’m the closest thing they have to a VIP.”

Steve was right in his guess that the makeshift gallery had some beautiful submissions.  At first they stayed together, but soon the four broke apart to look at the pieces that were more interesting to them, or in Tony’s case, spend some additional time talking with community leaders about how the center was helping to further the arts.  Sam was particularly interested in  the work he knew that some of his support group members had submitted, often encouraging them to make art as a way of coping with what they’d experienced.

Steve wanted to enjoy himself, but he couldn’t stop the paranoia that one of his friends would discover his work.  It wasn’t that he was embarrassed by it, more that his art was deeply personal, something that belonged to _him_  and him only. He didn’t need or want it associated with “Captain America,” and if anyone broke the news, he’d never hear the end of it.

He was looking at a rather interesting monochrome painting when Natasha snuck up behind him and muttered, “I didn’t know you liked art so much, Rogers.”  Steve, already on edge, jumped at the sound of her voice.

“Of course,” she continued, “I was always more into ink drawings than paintings, like this one.”  She brought Steve over to one of his own drawings and pointed to it.  “Whoever drew this must be really talented.  It’s a wonder they don’t share their art more often.”

Steve looked at her, realizing he’d been made.  Natasha smiled at him.

“You can’t make art without including a piece of yourself, Rogers,” she said. “This is practically a self portrait, and it’s really good.”

Steve didn’t say anything, trying to stop himself from blushing.

“Don’t worry,” she said, giving his arm a pat, “I won’t tell the others.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Imagine Steve being a trans boy and the avengers helping him through dysphoria._
> 
> Contains: trans Steve Rogers, Steve & Tony, Steve & Natasha, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov

The Super Solider Serum had been a miracle, no one was disputing that, but what most people didn’t realize was that for Steve, the miracle hadn’t been the strength or the resilience.  When he stepped out of that Vita Radiation pod, it was the first time in his life he felt like he had a body that belonged to him.

It wasn’t perfect, of course.  Howard Stark was a scientist, not a miracle worker, despite what he tried to make people believe.  But, for the most part, no one questioned his manhood anymore, and the media didn’t think twice about digging deep enough into Steve’s past to unlock the details he’d rather keep secret.  So, when he was rescued from the ice decades in the future, the memory of his trans identity hadn’t survived, and for a while, Steve was fine with that.

When his body was new, it was like Steve’s dysphoria seemed to disappear. Never in his life had he imagined that he’d ever look like this.  But as he got used to it, the doubts began to creep back up.  What would he tell his future partners?  How could he ever have children?  What would his fellow soldiers think if they found out?  Now that he was an Avenger, despite the fact that he saw evidence of changing attitudes all around him, his doubts remained.

When dysphoric episodes like today’s hit him, he’s settled on a routine to try and climb his way out of that rut.  Today, he was on a couch watching television, wrapped tightly in a blanket which covered his whole body.  He wasn’t really watching what was playing in front of him, rather trying to shoo away the thoughts of inadequacy and imperfection that were troubling him.  He was debating whether or not to grab more comfort food when Tony and Nat walked in.  Tony looked at the television, then to Steve.

“What’s got you moping and watching… Gilmore Girls?” he asked.  “I didn’t realize this was your kind of show.”

“It was just sort of on,” Steve muttered.

“What’s up with you?” Nat asked.  “You feeling sick?  We could spar a little.  I’m sure a good kick in the ass would bring your energy back.”

Steve tried to smile, but it came off as fake.  Attempting to recover, he muttered, “I’m good, thanks.”

Nat and Tony looked at each other, before Tony crossed his arms and said, “alright, what is it?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Really, Steve?” Nat asked.  “You can tell us.”

Steve looked off to the side and let out a sigh.  This wasn’t the way he’d planned to come out, but then again, he hadn’t really _planned_  to come out at all.  Rather, just sort of ignore this whole thing and hope that it would sort itself out.

“I feel… really uncomfortable in my body right now.  It doesn’t feel right.”

“What?” Tony asked.  “You’ve got a great body!  Stark brand.  Lots of guys would kill to-”

“That’s not the point, Tony,” Steve said.  “It’s not right.  It’s not mine.  It’s-”

He paused, looked down at the blanket covering him.  “It’s a- well- people thought it was a girl’s body.  And they were dead wrong, it wasn’t, but the damn doc who told my mom that when I was born really messed things up for me.”

There was a few moments of silence before Nat sat down next to Steve on the couch.

“I don’t trust doctors much anyway,” she said.  “Seems like that one was a real ass.”

“I tend to trust JARVIS to take care of my health,” Tony said before calling out, “hey, JARVIS, can you tell me what Steve’s gender is?”

 _“Steve Rogers is male,”_ came the electronic voice.

“There, settled,” Tony said with a smile.  “I’d trust JARVIS over some hack from 19-whatever any day.  Now get off the couch.  Gilmore Girls can wait. It looks like you need some friends and some decent food as soon as possible.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Okay, NOW imagine Steve messing up the pledge by not saying under God bc that wasn't there back in his days and having a bunch of backlash from news networks or whatever for some reason._
> 
> Contains: just Steve

The news was calling it a protest before Steve even left the assembly.  A Brooklyn high school had asked him to speak at their Veteran’s Day assembly, and when he’d led the pledge of allegiance, he’d apparently flubbed it.

Honestly, if any of these networks had done four seconds of research, they would’ve learned that the phrase “under God” wasn’t even _in_ the pledge when Steve was serving his country.  It was added in 1954 as a response to the “Communist Terror” President Eisenhower felt the country was facing.  But, fact-checking wasn’t typically a live broadcast’s strong suit, and so, the controversy exploded.

_“Can Steve Rogers even call himself ‘Captain America’ if he doesn’t know his own country’s Pledge of Allegiance?”_

_“This is clearly Steve’s reaction to the unwanted imposition of Christian values in American politics.  Separation of Church and State is what this country was founded on.  I admire his use of his First Amendment rights to protest such a violation of the Constitution.”  
_

_“First it was the war on Christmas, and now, folks, we appear to have an all out war on the Christian way of life!  Steve Rogers should be ashamed of himself.”  
_

Finally, after two days of trying to ignore the backlash, Steve felt it necessary to release a statement.

_I find it upsetting that every major news network found the fact that I was born pre-1954 more interesting than the actual Veteran’s Day assembly I was hoping to draw attention to.  Maybe we can have a debate about the passage of time after we work towards making sure our veterans are well taken care of.  Even instead of vilifying them on national television.  Just my take on the matter._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Imagine Steve writing/drawing fanfic/fanart._
> 
> Contains: just Steve

Steve didn’t realize that the practice of drawing his favorite fictional characters had a special name now, especially since he’d been doing it since he knew how to hold a pen.  He’d always wanted a way to get feedback and comments on his art while still maintaining his anonymity, and now, with the internet, that was possible.  He started a small art blog under an unassuming username, and began posting some of his work.  Most of the characters he knew were from radio plays and newspaper comics anyway, so no one seemed to recognize them.  They just assumed they were his “OCs”, whatever that meant.

Regardless, most of the comments were very positive, and Steve was able to connect with other artists without the pressure them knowing he was Captain America.  It seemed like the second anyone knew that, they were afraid to critique him, even though being a super solider and a good artist had absolutely nothing to do with each other.  With the help of the other artists he spoke with, he was able to learn about digital illustration, new techniques for picking his colors, and experiment with different art styles.

Then, one day, he was feeling nostalgic, and drew from memory a few sketches of the Commandos.  He didn’t think it was anything special, but he was sure he’d know those guys’ faces for the rest of his life, and without thinking twice, he posted it.  In a matter of minutes, he was getting comments and messages commending him on his Captain America and the Howling Commandos “fanart.”  Fanart?  Was that what he’d been drawing this whole time?

He was combing through fanart tags for the rest of the afternoon, and while some of the work wasn’t really his cup of tea, people had done some really beautiful drawings and paintings of him and his friends.  By the time he’d closed his laptop, he felt like tearing up.  Here were thousands of people keeping the memory of him and his friends alive, and to him, that was the best feeling in the world.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Imagine Steve asking Fury out as an obvious joke/challenge to play off the accidental "I love you" incident and Fury saying yes because he never backs down from a challenge and Steve and Fury get into some passive-aggressive flirt-off, trying to get the other to call it off first._
> 
> Contains: Steve/Fury, Nick Fury

“Marriage is a liability for you, isn’t it?” Steve asked.  He sat across a small Starbucks table from Fury, who was wearing a beanie and some sunglasses. While technically, Fury was dead, that didn’t stop him from being a micromanager, and generally nosy about the goings on after SHIELD fell to pieces.

“What’s it to you?” Fury asked, taking a sip from his venti caramel macchiato. Steve had raised an eyebrow at the drink choice, but Fury had insisted it was deep cover.

“You don’t get out much,” Steve observed, taking a sip from his own cappuccino.  He smirked.  “These secret catch-ups must be the highlight of your week.  You could use someone to come home to.”

“Again, Rogers,” Fury said, clearly not amused, “I ask what’s it to you.”

“Just the concern of a friend,” Steve said with shrug, though his expression showed that he was clearly not done playing around.  “We, me and the Avengers, y’know, you’re the one that brought us all together.  We gotta have some love for you.”

“Spare me, Rogers,” Fury said, “or I’d think you were asking me out.”

“What if I was?” Steve asked.  He hadn’t thought about the idea until the words left his mouth, but he was never one to let an opportunity like this go.

“Oh?” Fury asked, equally reluctant to back down from a challenge.  “Is that so?”

“Maybe.”

“C’mon Rogers, you gotta give me the respect of saying it.”

There was a silence, a stare-off of sorts, that happened across a too-small table in a Starbucks in Washington DC, and Steve Rogers wasn’t going to lose.

“Let’s make this a date next time, Nick,” Steve said, and he could see Fury falter ever slightly at hearing his first name.  “You, me, more macchiatos.  Could be fun.”

“Starbucks, really, Rogers?” Fury asked.  “And here I thought you guys from the forties had class.”

“Dinner then,” Steve said.  “Next Friday, I’ll take you to dinner.”

“Where?”

“Can’t I be a gentleman and surprise you?”

This almost put Fury on edge, but he kept his resolve.

“Only if you pay.  I’m out of a job.”

“Done.”  Steve said, leaning back in his chair.  “Don’t you stand me up.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Imagine Steve's SO is the kind of person who doesn't really think much about marriage, they love Steve and they're committed to him and that's all that matters. But Steve really wants to get married (he was raised Catholic after all...)_
> 
> Contains: Steve/Sam, Sam Wilson

Some would think that Steve, having grown up in the 20s and 30s, would be the one prepared to never marry.  The concept of an openly same-gender couple, let alone a legally married one, would’ve shook his very society.  But, despite this, Steve’s hope didn’t falter, and when, within years of his thawing, the Supreme Court nationally legalized gay marriage, it was Steve who brought the subject up with Sam.

“We’ve been together for years,” he started.  “And now, we can do it!  Finally, we can get married.  So why haven’t we?”

Sam was still having trouble processing what he was hearing.  Of course he knew that Steve loved him, but the idea of them being married, _legally_  married, as a luxury he hadn’t allowed himself to think about.  Sure, he’d wanted to believe that it could happen one day, but he wasn’t in the business of setting himself up for disappointment.

Apparently, however, Steve took Sam’s silent reflection to be a bad sign, and he quickly tried to make a case for himself.

“I’m not sure if you’ve ever thought about it, but I have.  I love you, Sam, and I want the whole world to-”

He was cut off by Sam grabbing him by the shoulders and kissing him.  It lasted only a few moments, but when Sam broke away to see Steve’s smiling face, all he could say was, “pick a date and I’ll run it by my mom.  She’d kill me if she couldn’t be there to see her only son get hitched.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Imagine Steve going off on a rant during a PR event about his strong feelings about the current state of baseball._
> 
> Contains: just Steve

In Steve’s opinion, it took the once Brooklyn Dodgers far too long to ask him to throw the first pitch out at one of their games.  Sure, they’d moved to Los Angeles (and Steve wasn’t about to let them forget it) but he still considered himself the biggest fan they’d ever had.  The morning of the game was sunny and warm, and Steve gave the ball a throw with all his might.  As he heard the satisfying smack of it hitting the catcher’s mitt, he smiled towards the camera, fully aware that his face was on the jumbo screen, and made his way off the field.

It only took a few minutes of being off the mound before the press swarmed him.  He didn’t even have a chance to find his seat before experiencing the too familiar feeling of ten reporters shouting questions at him.  This time, however, one really caught his attention.

“Captain Rogers, what do you say to the young people who claim that baseball isn’t a real sport?”

“What?” Steve asked incredulously.  “Baseball is not just a sport, it’s an _American_  sport.  It’s in our blood.  Next they’ll be saying that New York isn’t a real city.”  He scoffed and shook his head. “Baseball might not be as fast-paced as some other sports, but it takes skill and heart to play it.  You have to be versatile, you have to think on your feet, you have to smart and quick and ready for anything.  That’s the American way.  Those boys out there, playing our country’s game, they’re doing it for the love of it.  Really, the only way I could be happier with the current state of baseball is if my team came back to Brooklyn.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Can we have Steve with the serum but still being skinny? He's still extra strong and fast but physically, he's skinny and Bucky lovesssss it._
> 
> Contains: Steve/Bucky, Bucky Barnes

Everyone expected the Super Soldier Serum to give Steve a build that would put bodybuilders to shame, but that’s not what happened.  Apparently, as the army would soon learn, there were other kinds of strength.  When he came out of the Vita Ray pod, Steve was still skinny as a twig, but unlike before, he was buzzing with energy.  It didn’t take long to learn that despite Steve’s weak appearance, he was deceptively strong, and could run faster than anyone the Colonel had ever seen before.

By the time Captain America met up with the Howling Commandos, Steve had mastered his new talents.  Bucky, originally, wasn’t convinced.

“You’re telling me that you can lift  _how_  much?” Bucky asked.  “With arms like those?  Prove it, hot stuff.”

So Steve, much to Bucky’s shock, lifted one of the showgirls up easily in his arms.  She giggled, and a few seconds later he put her down.  Bucky looked aghast.

“No way,” he said, his smile wide and off-kilter, just how Steve remembered it from when they were growing up.  “Now _that’s_  something I can get behind.”

It became a strategy to use Steve’s skinniness to their advantage.  No one could catch speedy little Steve during battle.  They often dressed him up as a civilian, and no one suspected a thing until the thick of a battle.  Originally, Steve, like all the others, had been skeptical of why Erskine had the serum “super” him this way, but after living with his new body for a while, he knew why.  Sometimes muscles just weren’t the way to go. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Imagine colourblind Steve, right after project Rebirth, reacting to seeing colours._
> 
> Contains: Peggy Carter, Howard Stark

The world had never been completely black and white. It was more like a constant dullness, like someone had desaturated everything his eyes could see. Being an artist, it bothered Steve a little, but if Beethoven could still compose while going deaf, Steve could deal with only seeing colors at about half their brilliance. Besides, he didn’t know any differently.

When the Vita Ray pod opened after Project Rebirth, the first thing Steve noticed wasn’t the colors, but how he’d physically changed. Being twice his previous size would’ve been enough to distract him from most other changes. As he lost his footing on the way out of the pod, the first thing he noticed was how brightly the red tone in Peggy’s face stood out among her drab army uniform. His eyes widened for a second, wondering why he hadn’t noticed before, and then it hit him. His colorblindness was gone.

“I have to get outside,” he said, pushing past Peggy and Howard.

“Give the man some air!” Howard said, misinterpreting what Steve meant. Steve managed to get to a window on the upper floor of the lab and the first thing he noticed was how _blue_  the sky was. And this was _Brooklyn._  He couldn’t imagine what a sky like this could look like out in the countryside, without the smog of industry to grey it.

“Steve, are you alright?” Peggy asked.

“Holy hell, Peggy,” he said. “Did you know there were so many colors? Do you know how many colors I’ve _missed?_ Someone get me to a park! Someone get me to an art museum!”

He then looked around the lab and smiled.

“Someone should really liven this place up.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Steve visits Dr. Erskine's grave._
> 
> Contains: just Steve

Back in the forties, he’d avoided it, and whether or not Steve wanted to admit it to himself, that avoidance was a choice. Erskine’s sudden murder was a heavy weight on Steve’s heart, and something he couldn’t face in war zone. He knew that if he stopped, even for one moment, to process what had happened, he would’ve broken, especially after seeing Bucky, his best friend, tumble to his death.

But in the 21st century, Steve had had more time to heal. The thought of visiting Erskine lay under the surface of his consciousness for weeks before it finally bubbled up to the surface, and when the pain of avoiding that action hit Steve like a truck, he knew it was time.

Dr. Abraham Erskine was buried in a small, Jewish cemetery in Brooklyn, next to a synagogue that was going 100 years strong. He was born in Germany, but the SSR couldn’t risk shipping his body back there. Besides, Erskine had no family left once he fled the Nazis. It was better to keep him here for a proper burial.

If Erskine had had a funeral, Steve hadn’t attended. He’d been a little busy, after all, but that didn’t stop the guilt from eating at him. When he arrived, finding the small headstone reading “Dr. Abraham Erskine: 1869-1943” and nothing more, something broke in Steve. Here was a great man’s grave reading nothing of his accomplishments, and there was nothing Steve could do, just like he was powerless to stop that Hydra soldier from killing Erskine in the first place.

He knelt to lay the flowers he’d brought below the headstone, but didn’t get up once he’d done it, staring at the soil.

“Hello,” he said, his voice shaking. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

He took in a breath, but it was too late. The tears were already pricking in his eyes.

“I bet you didn’t think I was gonna last this long, did you?” he asked with a laugh. “Or maybe you did. The serum didn’t do this though, a block of ice did. But maybe the serum is what kept me alive while I froze for all those decades.”

Despite the fact that it was a warm, spring day, Steve felt himself shivering.

“We won the war. I didn’t do it, I was already frozen, but I heard it was a celebration you wouldn’t believe. I guess we have that in common. We both missed it.”

He took another pause to collect himself.

“The Nazis had to flee Germany. You could’ve gone home.”

That was what did it. He started sobbing, face in his hands, unable to stop the tears from flowing.

“I’m sorry you couldn’t go home.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Imagine Sam getting in touch with his ex again and Steve becoming the Jealous Boyfriend®. The only problem? Steve and Sam aren't dating. Yet._
> 
> Contains: Sam/Steve, Sam Wilson

Steve knew something was strange when he asked Sam to go get some dinner with him and Sam said no. They’d made it a practical tradition to get greasy food together about once a week, and despite Sam’s assertion that Steve could eat whatever he wanted, but some people needed to keep their health in mind, he’d always come along for a small indulgence of some delicious french fries.

“I already have dinner plans,” Sam said. Steve could feel a pang of jealousy in his chest that he quickly dismissed. Despite having been interested in Sam for months, they actually weren’t together yet.

“With who?” Steve asked, trying to be as casual as possible.

“Ryan,” Sam said. He passed it off as no big deal, but Steve felt the pang of jealousy grow.

“Your ex Ryan?” Steve asked. He forced a teasing smile.

“Yeah,” Sam said, eyeing Steve a little warily. “Is there a problem?”

“No,” Steve said quickly, voice reaching such a high pitch as he tried to be casual that Steve was afraid it would crack. “Have fun.”

That night, Steve didn’t go out for french fries and burgers on his own. Instead, he paced around his apartment, wondering what Sam and Ryan could be up to. Were they getting back together? Were they hooking up? Were they just getting a casual dinner? Sam had told him that the two of them broke up on good terms, so it made sense that they’d be friendly enough to get dinner, but something was up. Steve _knew_  it.

 _Why couldn’t they have had the decency to have a bitter, nasty breakup like everyone else?_  Steve wondered.

It crossed his mind a few times that he had no business being this jealous when he hadn’t even gotten up the nerve to ask Sam out yet, but the jealousy soon consumed those feelings as well. He wanted to call Sam and tell him that he shouldn’t be out with Ryan, he should be out with him, because he really liked him, dammit, and maybe, just maybe, they should be more than friends, but he knew that was uncalled for a little creepy, so instead he paced angrily in front of the TV, not listening to the newsreel blathering on for hours.

The next morning, Steve got a call from Sam, asking to meet for breakfast.

“I felt kinda bad that we couldn’t get dinner, so let’s make up for it now,” he’d said. Steve practically leapt out of bed, threw on clothes, and was out the door in fifteen minutes.

When he finally sat across from Sam at one of their favorite brunch spots, Steve gave the guy the first genuine smile he’d had since finding out Sam and Ryan were getting dinner. He tried to ignore the lingering jealous thoughts, wondering what the two them did the night before, but they were just distracting enough that Sam noticed that something was on Steve’s mind. When he asked him about it, Steve scrambled to make something up, but eventually realized he was getting nowhere.

“Are you and Ryan getting back together?” Steve asked finally. He looked down at the table, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“No,” Sam said. “What gave you that impression?”

“I just thought, since you were getting dinner with him-”

“No, that was just friendly,” Sam said. “Besides, why does this matter to you so much?”

Steve looked up to see Sam smiling so teasingly that he came to a sudden realization.

“You like me too, don’t you?” Steve asked.

“Of course I do,” Sam said. “You came up at dinner last night, in fact, when he asked me if I was seeing anyone.”

“What was your answer?” Steve asked.

“Not right now, but hopefully soon, if I can get up the damn nerve.”

Steve laughed. “Look at us, a bunch of hopeless cases.”

Sam smiled to himself.

“What?” Steve asked.

“So you spent the whole night jealous of Ryan?” he asked.

Steve didn’t answer, but his expression said everything.

“Damn, Rogers, you really are a piece of work,” Sam said, “but I love it.”


End file.
